RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD

I’m visiting my daughter and son-in-law for a few days. They live on a small lake in northern Michigan - the blip opportunities seem endless up here! Today the trees by the lake were full of these noisy red-winged black birds - they squawked and chattered at us for interrupting their territory. I also managed to get a shot at one just leaping into flight, but it wasn’t as clear as this one. (Posted on Flickr.)

I thought the shot of a duck on the lake looked more like a painting because of the beautiful reflection of the trees on the water. (Flickr again.) There are only three houses on one side so it feels like a private lake. It's adjacent to a larger lake, with access via a channel by small boat or kayak. (The smaller lake is also pictured on Flickr.)